The End Of The Road For Joey Barton
If he isn't laying into teenagers outside McDonalds in the early hours of the morning he is launching himself at Spanish midfielders on the touchline at Anfield. What happens to Joey Barton when he returns to his native Liverpool?
More importantly, has it now become impossible to defend him? Having been forgiven for two separate assault charges and ensuing prison terms last summer, will Barton's ridiculous sending off against Liverpool be seen as unforgivable by those who were willing to give him yet another chance a few months ago?
As far as I'm concerned, Barton's ineffectual performance against Liverpool is probably the last we will see of him in a black and white shirt.
Even if the Magpies pull off a great escape - which looks less and less likely every time I see them play - I fully expect the club to sell to whoever is willing to take him in the summer.
Certainly, with Alan Shearer clearly looking to take the job on permanently at the end of the season, relegation or not, I can't see how Barton is going to get himself out of trouble this time.
Shearer condemned his behaviour after the game, brushing off the player's attempt to apologise in the process and the message to the 26-year-old was clear - you have let me down, the club down, your teammates down and the supporters down... again!
Sorry simply isn't good enough. For almost £60,000-a-week, Newcastle United have got nine appearances out of the midfielder this season because of injury and, having waited patiently for his return, Barton rewards them with a wild and un-necessary tackle in a game which was already lost.
Stupid ,rash and idiotic, yet utterly in keeping with the character of the man who must have a blister on the end of his finger so often does he press the self-destruct button.
As for the rest of Newcastle's afternoon, well Barton's red card at least managed to deflect attention away from another dismal display from players who were hopelessly out-classed from first whistle to last.
In fact, given the anonymous performances of some in Newcastle's side - Alan Smith, Nicky Butt, Obafemi Martins to name just three - perhaps Barton should be thanked for turning himself into the villain of the piece once more.
The only good news to come out Anfield was that Newcastle only lost by three goals because it could easily have been five or six such was the level of Liverpool's dominance. Newcastle's goal difference, as a result, remains superior to Hull City's and that could be crucial in three game's time.
And so we turn our attention to the Middlesbrough game, the biggest North-East derby since the Magpies took on Sunderland in the old Second Division play-offs 19 years ago.
Nobody will need to be reminded that Newcastle lost that game, while on this occasion a draw would also be a dreadful result in the circumstances.
It's win or die, not literally, of course, you can't go around shooting players just because they get relegated.
Although it would be nice if a few of them fell on their swords and agreed to terminate their lucrative contracts wouldn't it? Nice, but highly unlikely because performance related pay is an alien concept in professional football.
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Luke Edwards - is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.
well in the past i've said he should of gone as soon as he went to prison but rigtly or wrongly we've kept him. was it good managment to put him on againts liverpool. his blood probably already boiling watching NUFC implode the over most of the season let alone the last 3-4 games.!? I think not! if we keep him he should be eased in not thrown in to be tortured by a brilliant football team from his home town. big mistake shearer, you have to take some of the blame.. i'm not defending barton, the man has serious problems, which clearly aren't going away. but when you're not up to speed in your job you make mistakes.. if he wants to stay next season on 10k a week fine. but giving any young player 60k a week breeds monsters. why would he think he is doing wrong if someone is giving him that sort of money? remember gazza!
I was all for giving him a second chance, enough is enough now. He's made no contribution to the team and will always be a thug. Offload him as soon as possible
Luke,
Where's the web chat gone? We should have had one on Monday!
So Joey Barton turned out to be total nutter on and off the pitch. Who'd have thought it eh?
Thanks again Sam, thanks again.
Agree totally with the sentiment of the piece - Barton is rightly finished at Newcastle. We should never have signed a player with his disciplinary record in the first place, but it's easy to be wise after the event. Even KK was taken in by his pathetic pleadings. Shearer is nobody's fool. Good riddance to a waste of space.
Luke,
It just HAS to be the end of the road for this thug! He is a liability both on and off the pitch wherever he goes. He has had a multitude of second chances, the Club have bent over backwards to help him, even laid on a helicopter to transport him, so he could satisfy bail conditions and this is how he repays that support!
As for londontoon criticising Shearer for playing him - that's simply bizarre. Barton earns something like £60K a week, believes himself to be the best player at Newcastle, claims to want to repay the Newcastle fans with performances on the pitch and looneytoon thinks Shearer should wrap him up in cotton wool and ease the poor lad back in gently. So I guess the red hot atmosphere of a Tyne-Tees Derby, unquestionably a more important game as we must win, would have been too risky as well! Maybe let him come on at half time away at Villa would be the answer, when the season is over!
No, Shearer gave him a chance and just like every other Manager Barton has played for, he let him down. Barton was never fit to wear a Black & White shirt and he brought the Club into so much disrepute, time and time again - I for one can never forgive him. There is no way he should wear the shirt again not even if he paid Newcastle £60K a week. Good Riddance Barton you were and are an absolute disgrace!
He should of never been anywhere near the club.
What a sad indictment of modern football - you put three different people in hospital and you get your knuckles rapped.
You say a managers tactics are ***** - not wholly untrue as it happens - and you get kicked out for good.
A faustian pact if ever there was one - the signing of Mr Barton.
Hi Luke,
Hopefully BSA who bought Barton and believed he could manage him will buy him again. Keegan supported Barton after the last deeply disturbing fiasco, a mistake as it turns out because what Barton does for team spirit and the reputation of our club is appalling.
I admire Shearer for taking this stand and sincerely hope we never see Barton play for the Toon again.
Shearer played Barton at Anfield because he was available and he isn't a bad player, but that must be his last chance!
Cheers
Hi Luke, agreed. Can't help but wonder that he just wanted out, a sideline reprieve. Milner said something similar, he wanted out. Bemoaning our plight right now is just empty sentiment. I remember back when Ashley bought our club, the best club. The Geordie club with pride and passion. And turned it into a shell. 'Shock the football world' was the promise. I'm shocked.
he's desperately out of depth. He looked for a quick buck by buying a brand with loyalty, but what he didn't realise that the loyalty was to region. The passion was our pride in a team that could beat the best. Not a bunch of tired old mercenaries. Please sell Ashley. Your toy train-set just crashed. I love NUFC, I watch our every move. If I could play like Ronaldo I would run out every game until I bled black and white. This brand means something, something more than can be put into words.
F**K OFF NOW!!!!!!!
Newcastle United will live forever through the pashion of the people. We will rise again.
Sorry, forgot to say....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfIZLqp_8kw
Shearer stood by us, we'll stay by him forever.
Barton is just one of many mistakes. Nobody else will want him so he will be back next season to play lower division football. No points will come from Fulham and Boro will probably sneak a 1-0 win. With crap like Barton Toon deserve to finish bottom and will.
Sad really. All that God-given talent--talent that most of use would have chewed our left arm off to get--frittered away. I hope the young kid can make something legit out of his life and not end up a washed-up drunk hanging out a pubs talking of what could have been or his "glory days."
Great lesson for our kids: you have been blessed with/given/possess talents. What you do with them, or don't do with them, is up to you and no one else. A crime to waste it.